1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a modular telephone plug for connection to a standard RJ-type jack.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typically telephone cords are used to connect a telephone to either a wall terminal or to connect the telephone to its handset. These telephone cords may run inside or outdoors to establish necessary telephone communication. The actual telephone cords generally comprise a core having a plurality of tinsel or ribbons wrapped helically thereabout. The tinsel conductors are covered with an insulative covering and then a plurality of the individual insulated conductors are typically jacketed with a plasticized polyvinyl chloride composition.
Usually, each end of the cord arrangement is terminated with a miniature modular plug to facilitate attachment to the jacks located in various telephone instruments and wall outlets. One end of the modular plug is adapted to receive a cord while the other end of the modular plug is adapted to be inserted into a jack to establish electrical connection between the core conductors within the plug and the contact elements in the form of wires in the jack. A typical modular plug can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,699,498 and 4,148,539.
As can be seen in FIGS. 1-3 of the attached drawings, a standard modular plug 10 includes a plastic housing 12. A first end 14 of the housing 12 has conductor receiving troughs 16 which communicate with a cord receiving opening 18 at the second end 20 of the plug 10. The first end 14 of the plug 10 includes receiving walls 22 which extend between and aid in defining the troughs 16.
As can be best seen in FIG. 3, the housing 12 incorporates a depressible tab 24 for locking the plug 10 within a jack 26. The tab 24 is formed with two, laterally spaced, detent members 28. These detent members 28 are adapted to engage the modular jack 26 thus locking the plug 10 in place. This prior art plug 10 and jack 26 connecting arrangement is satisfactory for intermittent household use. However, there presently exists a need to have testing plugs which will be used by a workman to test several jacks in a single given day. Repeatedly using a prior art plug constructed in the manner described above will inevitably lead to fatigue failure problems. For example, the tab 24 will tend to break off at its neck portion 30 if the plug 10 is used often.
Furthermore, as seen in FIG. 3, only a portion 32 of the plug 10 extends outward of the jack 26 when the plug is engaged. This presents grasping problems to workmen who often need to wear gloves which makes it difficult to grasp and pull a plug out of a jack if there is only a small portion of the plug extending beyond the jack. It is also often difficult to readily deflect the tab 24 which has only a small portion 34 extending beyond the jack 26.
Thus, the prior art technology has failed to provide a modular plug which can fit into a standard jack and yet is large enough to be easily held and removed by a worker who has gloved hands and which incorporates a reliable locking tab or clip that will not break even after repeated use.